Exploring the Mystery of Stress
There are various conditions and disorders around the world that affect every person in their normal life. One such condition is stress, which affects people’s daily lives, health, lifestyle, and lifestyles. Stress is a complex phenomenon that involves both the body and the mind. Hans Selye popularized the concept of stress in the late 1950s. He theorized that all human beings elicit similar responses to all events that threaten their wellbeing and named this as the general adaptation syndrome. He supported his argument that, when threatening situations compromise a person, they experience bodily arousal such as response from the adrenal cortex and pituitary gland. Although this theory did not garner adequate support, initially, contemporary studies have revealed that there is a 77 percent of individuals who report to having experienced stress; physical or psychological (Boyd, 2017). This research paper is purposed to explore the three major types of stress, the causes, symptoms, and finally, provide recommendations of how stress can be countered.
Definition of Stress
Before exploring the concept of stress, it would be imperative to shed light on the meaning of stress and the effects they have on the body. Stress can be defined as a strong feeling of pressure that people experience when trying to cope with different challenges that present in their daily lives (Boyd, 2017). It may include work-related problems, relationship issues, home environment, or other situations. Stress is usually experienced when an individual perceives a real or imagined situations which threaten their wellbeing. Stress is often used synonymously with anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, or panic. When the body is compromised with feelings of life-threatening conditions, it usually induces the flight or fight stance by releasing hormones in preparation for combating the prevailing danger (Columbia River Mental Health Services, 2018). Notably, the body cannot differentiate between real or imagined threats and therefore responds the same way.
Types of Stress and Related Symptoms
According to the American psychological association (APA), there are types of stress; acute stress, chronic stress, and severe episodic stress (Columbia River Mental Health Services, 2018). Acute stress is usually a brief experience of anxiety caused by the invasion of negative thoughts. These thoughts may predominate regarding past events or future events, for instance, worrying about an upcoming work deadline. This should then mean that, if the negative thoughts are removed from the mind, the stress will subside. However, if the stress meets the DSM-5 criteria, then APA suggests diagnosing the individual with an acute stress disorder (Columbia River Mental Health Services, 2018). Acute stress usually present signs such as transient emotional distress; the victim show symptoms of easily triggered anger and irritability or, at extreme cases, be depressed. Muscular distress such as back pain and headaches may follow while others experience bowel problems, acid stomach, or diarrhea. Acute stress is a common occurrence in people’s daily lives, but repetitive cases may become harmful to a person’s mental and physical health.
Episodic stress is experienced by people who frequently experience acute stress or who are commonly presented with triggers of stress. A type-A personality experiencing this type of stress has an excessive competitive drive and an imagined sense of time urgency (Columbia River Mental Health Services, 2018). The signs of this kind of stress are frequent reactions of hostility, aggression, and impatience over small issues. There is also the worrier personality who will project a catastrophe in almost every situation. They are convinced that the world is a dangerous and unrewarding place and may show signs of tension and anxiety. Episodic stress translates into more pronounced health issues such as high blood pressure and irritable bowel syndromes.
Chronic stress is the most harmful type of stress (Columbia River Mental Health Services, 2018). It may cause irreversible health and mental conditions. For instance, long term child abuse, poor work environment, unhappy relationships, and poverty my cause chronic stress. Chronic stress may also be caused by feelings of desperateness or post-traumatic stress among war veterans. The immediate sigs of this type of stress are changes in actions whereby a person’s behavior becomes ingrained (Columbia River Mental Health Services, 2018). People seem to be wearing away day by day showcased though long term attrition. It is the stress of abuse, violence, war, or poverty. Stress can manifest in both physical symptoms such as loss of appetite, lowered immunity to infections such as common cold and nausea. It may also inhibit a person’s concentration levels, cause depression or anxiety disorder (Wisse & Sleebos, 2016).
A Literature Review on the Causes and Effect of Stress
Stress is caused by various factors which induce pressure to the body and lead to multiple effects. There is a positive relationship existing between life events, stress, and illness (Salleh, 2008). The factors mentioned earlier were found to play a causal and effect role in stress. The research identified that most of the accidents occurring in the industrial areas are attributed to a person’s inability to handle stress appropriately. The center for disease control and prevention estimates that stress accounts for 75 percent of patients who visit doctors (Salleh, 2008). The research identifies that devastating life events such as loss of a loved one, diagnosis with a terminal illness may cause a person to feel having lost control and thus lead to stress. In return, stress may lead to depression, altering immunity, and activation of chronic stressors, which change people’s identities and social roles. Coronary heart disease, asthma, and stomach acids are an example of stressors or effects of stress (Salleh, 2008: Simmonds, Tylee, Walters & Rose, 2013).
A research conducted on patients of depression revealed the toll paid by stress on depression. This study traces how life stressors translate into specific changes in bodily functioning such as the release of cortisol in the body and how this, in turn, leads into depression (Yang, Zhao, Wang, Liu, Zhang, Li, & Cui, 2015). This study indirectly accounts for the increased drug abuse among stressed patients and war veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic syndrome disorder. Stress disrupts the proper body functioning causing a general feeling of anxiety. Victims of stress may resolve to taking drugs, which affects the endocrine sensors inducing a relaxing effect on the drug abuser.
Another study investigated the relationship between coronary heart disease and stress (depression). The study’s relevance is based on the link existing between depression and stress levels (Simmonds, Tylee, Walters & Rose, 2013). The interviewed patients gave responses that depression was caused by aging, loss of a loved one, and health problems. This study reveals the direct link existing between mental health and coronary heart disease. Since people show different levels of coping with stress, persons who have low levels of dealing with difficult situations show higher levels of stress and depression. There is a direct correlation between stress and poor physical health (Simmonds, Tylee, Walters & Rose, 2013). Individuals with high-stress levels tend to be dormant, inactive, and may be immobilized, thus may fail to take any physical activity. Stress individuals usually experience disrupted social lives and may prefer staying alone and inactive for long periods. Research by the University of Virginia (2015) contends that this, in turn, elevates the levels of stress and leads to poor mental health, especially in teenagers. Again, people who have been subjected to poverty, abuse, and violence may be withdrawn from the social arena, preferring to keep to themselves than socializing with others. In return, this causes high levels of stress and poor health outcomes.
However, small amounts of stress have been found to have positive impacts on people’s daily lives. Research attests that not all stress is bad; some types and amounts of stress may often boost brain power and motivate people to work harder to achieve their goals (Schönfeld, Brailovskaia, Bieda, Zhang & Margraf, 2016). This stress is known as eustress. For instance, a student who feels overwhelmed by the anxiety of an upcoming testy may positively use this stress to motivate their studies, and in return, this may boost their test results. There is also limited evidence that pregnant women who experience moderate to mild stress levels may enhance child development.
Solutions to stress
As previously discussed, stress may be a function of real or imagined situations, which then causes emotional responses by the body. The effectiveness of stress mitigation is dependent on early detection (Wisse & Sleebos, 2016). If a person shows the signs discussed in a previous section such as mood swings, being constantly unrelaxed, difficulties in sleeping and feelings of anxiety, the first step is to identify the root cause of the problem; should it be work stress or relationship issues (University of Virginia, 2015). Upon identification, the person should try to resolve the causes by sorting the possible reasons for the stress and review a person’s lifestyle. The problem may be internal such as taking onto so many roles, some of which can be delegated. To act on this, a person may need to reorganize their life and prioritize the targets in life. In chronic cases, however, it is usually advisable to seek the intervention of a psychologist.
A glance at the statistics provided by various organizations regarding stress reveals the prevalence of this problem among a broad population. Stress is a complex phenomenon caused by an interplay of social, mental, and physical challenges resulting in pressure. In response to this, the body then takes the flight or fight stance, which causes stress. In return, stress disrupts a person’s well-being. It is advisable to detect stress at an early stage top help in mitigating the consequences before they get out of control and translate into adverse effects on a person’s life.
References
APA: 3 Types of Stress. Columbia River Mental Health Services. (2018). Retrieved 15 May 2020, from https://crmhs.org/apa-3-types-of-stress/.
Boyd, D. (2017). Stress Research – The American Institute of Stress. The American Institute of Stress. Retrieved from https://www.stress.org/stress-research.
Salleh, M. R. (2008). Life event, stress and illness. The Malaysian journal of medical sciences: MJMS, 15(4), 9.
Schönfeld, P., Brailovskaia, J., Bieda, A., Zhang, X. C., & Margraf, J. (2016). The effects of daily stress on positive and negative mental health: Mediation through self-efficacy. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 16(1), 1-10.
Simmonds, R. L., Tylee, A., Walters, P., & Rose, D. (2013). Patients’ perceptions of depression and coronary heart disease: a qualitative UPBEAT-UK study. BMC family practice, 14(1), 38.
University of Virginia: Health system (2015 October 6): New test predicts teens’ future risk of heart disease: Researchers create cardiac crystal ball in battle against number 1 killer of men, women. ScienceDaily. Retrieved 15 May 2020, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151006123800.htm.
Wisse, B., & Sleebos, E. (2016). When change causes stress: Effects of self-construal and change consequences. Journal of business and psychology, 31(2), 249-264.
Yang, L., Zhao, Y., Wang, Y., Liu, L., Zhang, X., Li, B., & Cui, R. (2015). The effects of psychological stress on depression. Current neuropharmacology, 13(4), 494-504.